| Date | Number | Topic | Reading | Homework |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 26 | 1 | Overview: Our Universe, Solar System, and Species | Chapt. 1 | |
| 28 | 2 | The Cosmic Fishbowl - celestial coordinates and motions | Chapt. 2, Sect. 2.1 | HW 1 |
| Sept. 2 | 3 | The apparent motion of the Sun; Time | Chapt. 2, Sect. 2.1 Chapter S1, Sect. S1.1 | |
| 4 | 4 | The motion of the Sun; the seasons; the Moon | Chapt. S1, Sect. S1.2
Chapt. 2, Sect. 2.2 | HW 2 |
| 9 | 5 | Phases of the Moon, and its orbit | Chapt. 2, Sect. 2.3 | |
| 11 | 6 | Lunar and solar eclipses | Chapt. 2, Sect. 2.3 | HW 3 |
| 16 | 7 | Planetary Motions, and history from Og to Tycho | Chapt. 2, Sect. 2.4 | |
| 18 | 8 | Tycho, Galileo, Kepler, to Newton | Chapt. 2, Sect. 2.4
Chapt. 3, Sect. 3.1-3.3 | HW 4 |
| 23 | 9 | Newton | Chapt. 3, Sect. 3.3
Chapt. 4, Sect. 4.4 | |
| 25 | 10 | Rocket Science! | JPL Web page on
transfer orbits
Chapt. 4, Sect. 4.5 | Exam 1 prep. |
| 30 | 11 | Overall properties of our solar system; planetary interiors | Chapt. 7, Sect. 7.1-7.2 Chapt. 9, Sect, 9.1 | |
| Oct. 2 | EXAM 1; 6:30 - 8:00 PM | HW 5 | ||
| 7 | 12 | Planetary Surfaces I - Physical Processes | Chapt. 9, Sect. 9.2 | |
| 9 | 13 | Planetary Surfaces II - Ages of surfaces, and the Moon | Chapt. 8, Sect. 8.5 Chapt. 9, Sec. 9.2 | HW 6 |
| 14 | 14 | The surfaces of the terrestrial planets: Moon, Mercury, and Venus | Chapt. 9, Sect. 9.3, 9.5 | |
| 16 | 15 | Mars | Chapt. 9, Sect. 9.4 | HW 7 |
| 21 | 16 | Atmospheres of the inner planets, and global warming on Earth | Chapt. 10 | |
| 23 | 17 | Giant Planets I: Interiors and atmospheres | Chapt. 11, Sect. 11.1 | HW 8 |
| 28 | 18 | Giant Planets II: Phenomena, tides, and rings | Chapter 4, Sect. 4.5 Chapt. 11, Sect. 11.3 | |
| 30 | 19 | Icy Satellites, Pluto(ids), and KBOs | Chapt. 11, Sect. 11.2 Chapt. 12, Sect. 12.3 | HW 9 |
| Nov. 4 | 20 | Asteroids and meteorites: remnants of the origin of our solar system | Chapt. 12, Sect. 12.1 | |
| 6 | 21 | Comets and their origins | Chapt. 12, Sect. 12.2 | Exam 2 prep |
| 11 | 22 | Planetary collisions: past, present and future | Chapt. 8, Sect. 8.4 Chapt. 12, Sect. 12.4 | |
| 13 | EXAM 2: 6:30 - 8:00 PM | |||
| 18 | 23 | Astrology and pseudoscience | Chapt. 3, Sect. 3.4-3.5, and web reading | |
| 20 | 24 | The Sun: our "ordinary" star | Chapt. 14 | HW 10 |
| 25-27 | Thanksgiving! | |||
| Dec. 2 | 25 | The origin of our solar system | Chapt. 8, Sect. 8.1-8.4 | |
| 4 | 26 | Other planetary systems | Chapt. 13 | |
| 9 | 27 | Life in the Universe I: Searching for life beyond Earth | Chapt. 24, Sect. 24.1 - 24.3 | |
| 11 | 28 | Life in the Universe II: Searching for other intelligent life; Conclusions | Chapt. 24, Sect. 24.4-24.5 | |